Recipe: Roasted Potatoes with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts

These three ingredients couldn't really be bad together, no matter what you do with them (Brussels sprouts and pork is a favorite combination). But I added some grainy mustard just to make things more interesting. It's the perfect side dish for a cold evening.

This recipe is a variation on one that a family member has made for me before, which is just potatoes and bacon. Simple ingredients, but the genius is in the execution: you don't cook the bacon beforehand. Just throw it in raw, and as it crisps, the rendered fat coats and flavors the vegetables.

I love the touch of mustard, a little tang that goes surprisingly well with the sprouts, too. The only thing you have to think about is giving the bacon and potatoes a head start in the oven, since the Brussels sprouts take less time to cook. You want your potatoes to be pretty tender (a fork should go in without too much force) before you add the sprouts. And the smaller you dice your bacon, the crispier it'll be.

Tester's Notes

This has long been one of the most popular side dish recipes in our recipe collection, and understandably so. It has all the hallmarks of a recipe from Elizabeth: Comfort food flavors in a rather brilliantly simple little package.

I did make a few changes when retesting this. I feel that mixing the Brussels in with the potatoes didn't create as crispy of a potato (or as browned of a sprout) as I like. So I push the potatoes to one side of the pan and the sprouts to the other as they cook, which lets each get browned and crispy without steaming the other up.

I also have you crank up the oven heat in the last 15 minutes as the sprouts go in which, again, contributes to nicely browned and flavorful vegetables that still retain some bite in the center. —Faith, December 2014

Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, mustard, and salt. Toss the potatoes and bacon in the bowl until evenly coated with the mustard and oil.

Spread the potato mixture evenly on a large, heavy baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes.

Turn the oven up to 475°F. Toss the Brussels sprouts with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil. Push the potatoes to one side of the pan, and arrange the Brussels sprouts on the other half of the pan, cut sides down.

Continue roasting for about 15 more minutes, or until the sprouts are tender and browned, and the bacon is crisp. Salt to taste.

Recipe Notes

This recipe as originally written called for 1 shallot, sliced and roasted along with the potatoes. If you have a shallot on hand, by all means throw it in, but it's not necessary for this simple side dish.